In the oil and gas exploration and production industry, wellbores need to be drilled and completed to enable long-term production. The completion process involves installing a casing or liner (steel pipe) into a wellbore and cementing the casing in place. During cementing operations, a cement slurry is pumped down the interior of the casing to the bottom of the wellbore and into the annulus located between the casing and the wellbore. Before drilling can commence to extend a wellbore, the cement slurry needs to cure or harden. This cement curing time interval is referred to as “waiting on cement” or “WOC” and contributes to increased costs in time and money. The WOC interval is affected by downhole parameters that are difficult to monitor or control from the surface.
It should be understood, however, that the specific embodiments given in the drawings and detailed description thereto do not limit the disclosure. On the contrary, they provide the foundation for one of ordinary skill to discern the alternative forms, equivalents, and modifications that are encompassed together with one or more of the given embodiments in the scope of the appended claims.